Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-07-11
HOW IT HAPPENED.
DETAILS OF THE BRLLAIRB SHOOTING
SCRAPE.
Young Buffers Hold on Life a Fral One
An Arrest Made by the
Authorities.

A very mysterious shooting ARRAY oc-
CURED in the alley hack of Guernsey
street Just below the bridge piers, Bellaire,
about ] o'clock yesterday morning, IN
which Tim Butler, 3 young man % years
of age, was shot in the neck just above the
collar bone. The particulars Of the affair
could only be learned in fragments, and are
as follows:
Butler, the wounded man, refused to say
anything further than that he had been
drinking freely, and meeting young man,
Whose name he would not divulge, but
who, it was afterwards learned, is an EN-
ploye on the st. Clairsville narrow-guage
Ioad), the two went into an
adjoining saloon and took q
drink. Butler then suggested that they
90 out and have some fun, and they pro-
ceeded to the house of a widow woman
named Burris, who lives with her sister
and son, Henry, aged 10 years. The re-
mainder of the story is told by Mrs. Burris,
as Butler could not or would not say fur
Their. There came a loud humping on the
door at Burris' house, and Henry Burris,
who had not yet gone to bed, demanded
who was there and what they wanted.
The man at the door replied that they
wanted in, and would give the occupants
five minutes to open the door, or they would
kick it down and would kick their id
hearts out when they got in. Young Burris
then told them to 90 away or he would
shoot them, having in the meantime got
his revolver from another room. At
the same time Mrs. Burris called
loudly to neigbbor for help. The out
siders would not leave the door until the
young mau began To unfasten 1t, when
they ran away. He sent ball after them,
and it is supposed that was the one which
hit Butler. The man the Burris folks saw
then fled down the alley and back toward
the B. & o. round-house. They had only
seen the one man. Mrs. Burris is well
acquainted with Butler, living directly
across the alley from where Butler makes
his home with his brOther-in-law, Mr..
Thomas Murphy, and she is quite positive
in declaring that she saw nothing of Butler
at the time. Mrs. Burris also says that
the man they saw was we'll dressed and
wore white collar and lie, and that But
Ter always dresses slOuchily, without col
lar or tie. Joe Michel, the neighbor who
was called, heard the summons, and was
dressing to &c to the scene when the shot
WAS fired. He ran to his door, but no one
was to be seen, and he returned to his
room.
Butler was found lying in the alley
above st. Johns church, some three
squares from where the shooting occur ed,
a short time after by Officer johnson and
Others, and carried to Mr.. Murphy's.
Drs. Mcclure and West were summoned,
and found that the ball had entered the
mans neck nesr the winGpipe, and had
taken downward course, but the missile
could not he located. In the afternoon
Butler suffered intense pain in the stom-
ach, and it is feared the ball lodged there.
His condition is pronounced critical, with
only a slight chance of recovery under
favorable circumstances.
Rutler's refusal to give any particulars
in regard to the affairs rather mysterious,
as the house which the men tried 10 enter
Is occupied only by two aged women and
their son. 1t is copiectured by many per-
sons that there is bawdy house in the
vicinity, and the men thought they were
besieging it. Butler, it is believed, was
intoxicated, and the other man being q
stranger in that locality, lends an air of
credence to the conjecture. Only one per
son could be found who knew the name of
tho ynnnu man 10 hn was with ROtlar and
he absolutely refused to disclose it, giving
as reason that he was a nice fellow, and
he would not give him awiy.
Butler refuses to make charges, and no
arrests have been made. Young Burris
remained at home during the day.
Young Burris was arrested and placed In
Jail yesterday evening. In talk with
him, the young man said he had opened
the door and again ordered the intruders to
leave the premises, which they refused to
do; and he fired. The man he shot at, he
says, was not more than six feet from him.
Both men then ran down the alley and
disappeared. The young man says he
was perfectly aware of what he was doing,
but had no idea Butler was the man he
fired at. He talks in cool and quiet
manner, and does not seem TO realize what
he has done. The young man bears
good reputation, is sober and industrious,
and thinks he did the right thing in shoot
ing He will be given a hearing to-day.